Jay Hanson:
>I know of no economists except Herman Daly, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, and
>a few others who are opposed to economic growth.
>
>With few exceptions, every time an economist (Marxist or otherwise) opens
>his mouth it is to endorse economic growth either explicitly or implicitly.
>
>Although I doubt that few realize it, every economist comes pre-programmed
>from the factory to promote dieoff.
>
>The formula is extremely simple: economic growth = dieoff
>
No, Jay, it really isn't extremely simple. You just make it sound that way.
The problem the world is faced with is one of being damned if you do and
damned if you don't. Rich countries may not need growth in excess of the
rate required to provide a growing population with jobs and income and
maintain social infrastructure (schools, hospitals, highways, etc.)
However, poor countries require higher rates of growth if their present
abysmally low standards of living, health, education, etc., are to be
overcome. By saying this, I'm not promoting growth. I'm simply recognizing
its role in meeting human needs and alleviating suffering. Without growth,
much of the world faces a serious prospect of die-off.
I recognize that growth eats into global stocks of non-renewable resources
and has undesirable environmental consequences. What this suggests is that
resources must be used as efficiently as possible and with full awareness of
the environmental impact of their usage. It also suggests a need for
innovation in order to find substitutes for resources which may run out and
to make non-renewables renewable via recycling. And, most importantly, it
suggests the need for policies to dampen the forces which are driving
growth. Population increase is one of these forces, but then so is the
human preference for bigger and gaudier rather than smaller and better.
Ultimately, controlling growth, making it less of a runaway train, may
require something of a revolution in our ethics and values.
It is a long time since I encountered Georgescu-Roegen. If you say he was
opposed to growth, I'll have to take your word for it. However, I don't
believe Herman Daly is. What Daly is concerned about is growth within the
limits of the earth's carrying capacity. This was also the concern of the
Brundtland Report ("Our Common Future") and the Club of Rome. At no point
did any of these sources say "Growth must stop". All of them said "Growth
must be sensible". While there may be an economist here or there who has
not been influenced by these sources, especially Brundtland, I have never
met one.
Ed Weick
